A Philippine festival is never complete without street dancing. It's no different in Iligan City.

"Sayaw Saulog" is the annual street dancing and merry-making event, which is the highlight of the Diyandi Festival. It showcases the rich and varied cultural traditions of the city. It used to be named as "Kasadya," which literally translates to merriment but has since been renamed in 2014.

Every 27th of September, the streets of Iligan go alive, teeming with colorful and vibrant dancers in celebration of Diyandi Festival. This year, there were eight contingents, namely Barangays Dalipuga, Abuno, Sta. Elena, Tipanoy, Acmac, Mahayahay, Ditucalan and Kabacsanan. The groups danced their way traversing a 3-kilometer distance from the port area going to the Anahaw Amphitheater at the City Hall, where approximately 10,000 crowd witness the showdown.

The street dancing competition brings about the different styles and dance forms of local talents as well as other Mindanao tribal dance forms. It showcases the "Dumagats" (now Christians), the Maranaos (Muslims) and the Higaonons (lumads or natives) to jointly pay homage to the patron saint, St. Michael.

Central to the Sayaw Saulog, is the re-enactment of the battle between good and evil – between Sr. San Miguel and the devil.

And another interesting and familiar performance is the Eskrima. It is a dance with a Filipino martial art that incorporates weapons such as sticks and knives.

Waking up early to catch the street performance was worth it, and I'm so looking forward to even grander performances of Iliganons in the years to come.